Welcome
In May 2011, the Dedication of the Quiet Place and the Eternal Muster Memorial opened in the peaceful bush setting amongst the flowering gums in the Gardens of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame & Outback Heritage Centre, Longreach, Queensland.
The project culminated in years of planning and fundraising in a partnership between the Qld and the N.S.W. Branches of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame & Outback Heritage Centre. The Eternal Muster Memorial celebrates and cherishes the lives of the many remarkable Australians honoured by their families, ensuring their spirits will live on forever.
The History
The history of the creation of the Eternal Muster Memorial was inspired by a grieving father, the late Tony Estcourt, who in 2008 lost his only son Richard, aged 18, in a tragic mustering accident in the Gulf country in North Qld. Tony wanted Richard remembered on a wall at the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame. At this time, stonemason Danny Beveridge was building the outdoor Chapel; with Tony’s financial help, and vision, the Eternal Muster Memorial was created.
The name ‘Eternal Muster’ derived from the wording of a song written primarily in honour and to celebrate the life of Richard Estcourt.
The unique bronze leaves are manufactured at the Phoenix Foundry in Uralla, N.S.W. The leaves create a tumbling leaf pattern; families can choose a special place on the walls and mark the occasion with a ceremony befitting the memory of their loved one.
The Design
The multi-purpose design features seven free-standing random rubble sandstone walls that serve as ‘The Quiet Place’, an open-air non-denominational Chapel celebrating tribute services.
The Eternal Muster Memorial features the bronze leaves donated and dedicated by families Australia-wide and overseas to honour their loved ones across many generations from 1891 to recent times. To date, there are almost 200 leaves, each with its own story of lives young and old; each lovingly mounted on the sandstone walls by families. The tributes include many drovers, stockmen and women, helicopter pilots, schoolteachers, train drivers, church ministers, police officers, Afghan and Aboriginal families, and young bush children, to name a few.
How to Order
If you would like to honour a loved one and have a leaf mounted on the Eternal Muster Memorial wall, please complete the form below.
The completed form will be emailed to the Phoenix Foundry, which will set out the wording of your choice in the outline of the leaf. You will then receive a quote and a proof copy of the leaf. Once you are happy with this, an invoice from Phoenix Foundry will be emailed to you. Upon receipt of payment, the leaf engraving will commence, and the finished leaf will be posted to you. (Please note this usually takes approx. 4-6 weeks).
To have the leaf mounted at the Eternal Muster Memorial, please contact:
Rosemary Champion on 0427 739 506 or email [email protected] who will discuss your requirements.
